Chapter 58
RPOV
Sitting staring out of the window at the blackness around me allowed me the time to think. I really did not want to be on this plane, let alone heading to Washington. My thoughts kept going back to Steph and our time together before I'd had to leave. The letter Buckley had written was such an accurate description of Steph. She really did have such a large and open heart that she gladly gave from. Maybe that was why she tended to get herself into trouble, from the garbage thrown at her to the car explosions. She would always try to see the best in a person and endeavor to help them.
Our time following our engagement had been stressful, but the waiting had been so worthwhile. I had no doubt in my head or my heart that she was my soul mate. Our love making had reached new heights for me, an experience that totally blew my mind away and I knew after each time we joined it had only got better. My aching shoulder was worth it for the time we'd spent together.
Now though I was stuck in the air a couple of hundred miles away from her, and I hated it. The idea of ever being called up for a mission would feel devastating. The conversation with the Colonel had been short, there was no explanation for him ordering me to meet with him. In some ways that was making me nervous because if it was his intention to send me out of the country, I wasn't sure how I would cope. Except I would, I'd pull myself in and confine my emotions to a deep and dark place while I allowed the beast inside of me to command and control.
I'd left Rangeman with strict instructions to Santos and Tank. Make sure nothing happened to Steph. It was a late arrival to Washington, and I would be staying in the barracks close to where my meeting would take place. The room I had been allocated was sufficient, certainly befitting my rank. After showering and getting ready for bed I sent a message to Steph. I didn't want to wake her if she was asleep but knew she would be worrying.
"Arrived safely. Sleep well mi amor, te quiero"
I was surprised when a minute later my phone showed a new message.
"Stay safe. I love you"
I hadn't slept well, which for me was unusual. Normally I could make myself rest taking opportunities to recharge my mind and body. I wasn't sure if it was worry over this meeting with the Colonel or the fact that I knew Steph was alone in our bed. That thought alone resolved my intentions to be away from here as soon as possible. I was dressed in my army fatigues as I made my way to the meeting place. The Colonel was already waiting for me and it brought me some relief that he was alone.
I stood to attention and saluted the man waiting for him to respond to me. He was a large man, with a short crew cut that hid any sign as to the what the color of his hair would be. But as he looked up at me I could see the signs of tiredness around his eyes. That was unusual for him. Normally he was full of bravado, showing through his demeanor and voice that he was fully in charge of any situation.
"At ease Major, take a seat"
"Colonel"
He sat back in his chair looking at me intently.
"We have a problem Major, one that has reverberated through to the Whitehouse. It seems that you are the man who will be needed to sort it out"
Shit, did that mean I was here to be sent out on a mission, and seeing that there was only me here did that mean a solo operation?
"Captain Booth has presented us with some very worrying intel. I've read the report from Major Gannon and seen the report from Booth. It's lacking detail and I need some answers. I'd like you to read that report and question Booth. It seems he'll only talk with you"
"What do you expect from that?"
"I want some answers on where we stand with regards to the technology that came to light and that the safety of this country hasn't been compromised"
Okay I could do what he was asking, though personally I could quite happily kill Ash for what he had done. I took the file that Colonel Dempsey handed to me and left the room. There was a small room next door that would be sufficient for sitting in and reading through it. I knew that no files had to be removed from this building, so I spent the next three hours reading through the information from Ash. It was written as a report but lacked a lot of detail, especially with regard to the part he had played. I had questions for him that only I would know to ask so I suppose that was why I was here. Once finished I left the file with the officer who supported the Colonel and was told a vehicle would take me to see Ash.
I was surprised when the jeep didn't leave the base, I had assumed Ash would be being kept at one of the army prisons. That he was here was probably due to the need to keep him isolated from other men. After all the information he had could be seen as a threat to national security and I was sure that this knowledge would need to kept a closely guarded secret. We stopped in front of a guarded barrack where I was escorted through a number of locked doors and down a flight of stairs before being shown into a small room. The room was very basic, similar to the cells we had at Rangeman, a cot fastened to the wall with a latrine and basin against the wall. In the center of the room was a metal table with Ash sat on a chair behind it. A quick look confirmed that the table and chair were fastened to the floor and that there were shackles around Ash's ankles secured to the chair. He looked up as I entered but wasn't about to make eye contact. I sat in the chair opposite him waiting him out. If he was so adamant about talking to me, he could start the conversation.
"No one was ever supposed to get hurt"
"They did though. Three people are dead"
"It was meant to be simple. Place some electronic gadgets near Buckley and we'd have the information"
"Nothing is ever that simple, you should know that"
"Yeah. Angel got involved"
"Don't call her that, you've lost that right"
"Remi said she had everything under control. Get hold of Buckley's program and destroy the research lab at Safenet"
"What went wrong?"
"Ang, Stephanie Plum. We totally underestimated the impact she would have"
"Nothing ever goes to plan when Steph is involved"
"Yeah, I know that now. I also know that she has amazing instincts. I did the one thing we were trained not to do"
"What was that Ash?"
"I liked her, the way she thinks and how open she is, she really is a very special woman Ranger"
"I know"
"So I suppose you want to know more of the details? Ask away and I'll answer what I can"
"Steph being attacked and beaten up?"
"I think that was Dolby, he was determined to get answers because he needed his robots to be more reliable, work better. He'd invested a lot of money into his work. He had a buyer but couldn't deliver what they wanted"
"The mission with me Ash?"
"Remi was selling devices to Serrano, nothing dangerous, just high-tech stuff, like the ones you came across at his compound"
"Why be part of that mission?"
"She'd heard through a contact that there was a mission to take him out. She didn't want there to be a link back to her. I was with Zeph when he got the call and talked him into believing I would be the ideal person to have around. He spoke with the Colonel and I was included"
"Lucky for you it was about Serrano"
"The possibilities were high, if not it was just another mission"
"Finding Serrano?"
"Remi knew where he was because he was a customer"
"So you were able to trick us into thinking that device with the phone worked"
"Yeah and then Remi sent the false intel to Serrano on where the village folk were hiding"
"So we were in and out"
"Ranger I never planned on anything else. As far as knew I'd helped Remi get rid of Serrano. When you suggested working for you, it was an offer I couldn't refuse. Remi thought it was a great opportunity, saying she needed someone close to Steph to keep an eye on her"
"Gannon?"
"I had no idea how he was involved. I thought the same as you did, not sure what the hell he was up to. He was Remi's contact not mine, she never divulged to me that she working with him as well. Hell, when they turned up at that meeting together when you met up with them, I was as surprised as you. She used both of us"
"Who shot at Steph and killed Buckley?"
"I don't know. That was one of the strangest things in this whole mess. I mean Steph and Buckley were key to finding that program, why kill them?"
That threw me slightly because he was right. If Buckley and Steph died, then finding the program would be impossible. Was there another player involved that we weren't aware of, someone who didn't want the program found at all?
"Why do you think Steph knows anything?"
"I never did, but Remi was insistent that she knew"
"Steph only met the man twice. Once as a bounty hunter and the second time he was shot"
"Ranger that woman has a way about her. People talk to her, confide in her. Plus, she has the uncanny ability to figure things out"
"She doesn't know Ash"
"I hope you're right Ranger, but that video we watched, if there was a message in it she'd see it"
"I take it Remi stole the file?"
"Yeah, she ransacked his house looking for anything to help. Then she set the house on fire hoping to flush Buckley out"
"Except he went into hiding"
"Yeah"
"What happens to you now?"
"No idea, I've got access to a good JAG officer, but who knows what crap they'll try and throw at me"
I didn't have any more questions to ask of him and I was sure the conversation was being recorded. What the Colonel expected I wasn't too sure. Whilst in some ways I felt sorry for Ash he'd made his choices, even if they were the wrong ones.
"You heading home Ranger?"
"Yes"
"Take care of her Ranger"
"I will"
I left Ash in the cell and headed back out through the doors to the front of the building and my transport back to headquarters. I had no intention of staying here any longer than necessary, so was going to pick up my things and head back to Trenton. As I was packing the remains of my things into my bag I was surprised at a knock on the door. Opening it I came face to face with Colonel Dempsey.
"You leaving Major?"
"Yes, you have the recording of the interview with Ash. I can't help you anymore"
"Oh but you can and you will"
As he said that he came into the room, closing the door behind him. I didn't like his tone of voice or what he might be implying and for some reason I felt my senses heighten.
"You're still under contract Manoso, with a few more missions to go. I can make sure the next mission after this will be a high risk one, probably seen as a suicide mission"
"Are you saying you're calling me on a mission now?"
"Yes. Your objective is to negate a threat to national security"
"Negate?"
"The program Buckley developed must never be found. For that to happen anyone who knows where it is must be neutralized"
"No one knows where he hid it"
"That's where you're wrong. Stephanie Plum knows or will certainly work it out"
I know my face was thunderous as he said those words, why he would ever think I would kill Steph I had no idea.
"Major, remember you're still part of the army through your contract. If you refuse, two things will happen. One, I'd send in a team to do the job. Second, you'd be sent out immediately on that suicide mission and I'd still send in a team"
"You expect me to murder a civilian?"
"She's a nobody, who I hear you know. National security, Major, trumps everything else and the orders have come down from the White House"
I couldn't believe what he was saying, there was no way I'd ever hurt Steph, let alone kill her even if it was because of national security. If necessary, we'd disappear, I had ways of making that happen. It just wasn't what I wanted to do because I wasn't sure how Steph would cope with that.
"Major?"
"I'll head back to Trenton"
"Good decision Major. I'll be in touch through the usual channels"
Once he'd left the room, I followed him out, heading to the airport. I'd managed to change my reservation for an earlier flight and was now keen to get back home. As I sat on the plane, I kept going through every scenario possible to keep Steph safe.
